2023 Nissan Z launched in the US – Fairlady name to return in Japan-spec model
What a retro week it has been for cars. First, Acura confirmed that it would be reviving Honda’s famous Integra nameplate. And in a span of 24 hours, Lamborghini launched the Countach LPI 800-4 – a limited-run tribute (which has since sold out) to the original on its 50th anniversary.
It’s a big reason to celebrate because few cars have such a long heritage to fall back on. One such car is Nissan’s Z coupe, which started out life as the Datsun 240Z in 1969 before spawning generations of the company’s most recognisable sports cars, second in icon status only to the GT-R.
After selling 1.8 million Z cars across the globe, Nissan is at it again with a new one, simply called the 2023 Nissan Z – no Fairlady or alphanumeral labels this time around for reasons that will soon be obvious. The successor to the 370Z is not entirely new to all of us, with pictures floating round the web as early as last September. The good news is that the production car looks very much like the prototype previewed in 2020 in its US-spec format. And we now have more detailed information about what’s running under the hood.
If you’ve shunned the 350Z and 370Z in the past because of the steep road tax incurred by their 3.5- and 3.7-litre engines, you’re in luck (somewhat). The all-new Z features a new twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 which produces 400hp and 475Nm of torque – if Nissan had maintained the old naming convention, this would be called the 300Z, which might not sound like an upgrade. Still, that’s a 68hp improvement from the 370Z’s naturally-aspirated VQ mill, with 30 percent more twist to boot. Crucially, this output puts the Z right in Toyota GR Supra territory.
The Z’s new engine can be paired with a nine-speed auto or a good old six-speed manual with an Exedy high-performance clutch, which features launch control for the very first time in a RWD Nissan. The latter also has a carbon-fibre composite drive shaft and a familiar downshift rev-matching feature.
Nissan claims the combination of a more rigid structure, electronic power steering and wider front tyres improves cornering performance by up to 13 percent. The new monotube shock absorbers used to damp the car are supposedly 20 percent better at reducing impact shock over uneven surfaces and improving handling stability too.
At the top of the range is a Z Performance variant which features a mechanical clutch-type limited-slip differential. Driver-oriented equipment aside, it also has an additional rear spoiler to go with the Z’s 3D LED taillights shaped similarly to the clusters seen on the Z32 300ZX. There’s also a Proto spec limited to just 240 units which is dressed up in swathes of yellow, be it on the brake calipers, seat accents and interior stitching.
For now, all of the pictures and details are accurate for 2023 Nissan Z that will be sold in the US, where deliveries are expected to commence early next year. Nissan will be revealing more details for the Japanese market in due time, where the ‘Fairlady’ name is expected to make a comeback.
So, in a hypothetical but likely future where you have the 2023 iterations of the Toyota Supra, Honda Integra and Nissan Fairlady to choose from, which JDM icon would you pick?
